I totally forgot to update this blog for four months!

Tuesday

Aug 28, 2012 at 11:38 PMAug 28, 2012 at 11:45 PM

I've spent so much time this summer defending the Red Sox from front-running Boston sports fans, I totally forgot that I still have this blog I can and probably should update infrequently! Here are some random thoughts (some of which are blatantly ripped off from my Twitter feed) as the high school sports season gets underway this week.

--Fewer kids are coming out for football teams. One local coach I talked to says turnout is the worst he's ever seen, and a report in the Union Leader said Bishop Brady has 25 on its roster. Fall Mountain isn't even fielding a varsity team this year.

With that in mind, it doesn't seem like a good time for the NHIAA to consolidate from six divisions to three for next season. A better path would be for the NHIAA to seriously examine the feasibility of offering six- or eight-man football for the smaller schools.

--There is no more awkward transition between seasons than that of summer to fall. Everyone loves football and is excited for the start of the season, but it's going to be hard to get into the spirit of things this weekend when its 90 degrees.

--It's going to be a long year for Kingswood soccer. Both teams lost their season openers on Monday by identical 9-0 scores.

--Let's nip this in the bud. The well-worn sports cliche "(Insert team name) Nation" should not be used by high schools. You see, "Red Sox Nation" refers to the fact that there are Red Sox fans all over the, you know, nation. Regardless of what the Tilton School would like you to believe, there is no "Ram Nation".

--Speaking of the Red Sox, even Dan Shaughnessy thinks the Johnny Pesky funeral controversy is overblown. So I'm not the only one.

--I've spent all summer defending the Red Sox, but there are two things the club could do that would go a long way toward making them perceived as less obnoxious. One, admit the sellout streak is bogus and end it already, and give "Sweet Caroline" a rest until the team gets back above .500.

--College sports: men's and women's. High school sports: boys and girls. Period.

--No one's a bigger fan of reality TV than me (I've got six episodes of "Honey Boo Boo" waiting for me on my DVR), but why do they have men and women compete directly against each other on what in some cases are essentially sporting events?

--I'm proud to say that during the entire Olympics, while I was working the sports desk here at Foster's, I did not run one single photo of an athlete biting his or her medal.

Please follow me on Twitter @JohnDoyle603 . If you'd like to send me an email, do so at jdoyle@fosters.com.